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Council snoops to use terror laws to inspect homes & rubbish Daily
Express HOUSEHOLD dustbin collections will be cut to once a month, an industry expert warned last night. He said the move was “inevitable” to force people to recycle more. The plans were immediately condemned by campaigners who said leaving rubbish to fester for up to four weeks is a health hazard. Dorretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, described any plan to move to monthly pick-ups as “unbelievable”.
(Article continues below) And Tory local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: “Under Labour you pay more council tax and get less. Cuts to weekly bin collections have already boosted vermin and, during the summer, uncollected rubbish will pose a serious health risk.” The industry expert predicted collections would be cut to just 12 a year, as in Germany. To make matters worse, it also emerged yesterday that householders could face £5,000 fines for preventing bin inspectors going through their rubbish. The “draconian” sanction could be imposed using laws designed to combat terrorist threats and antisocial behaviour. Critics said the move was another strike at the heart of Britain’s civil liberties. Householders already face a barrage of rules and penalties over their rubbish collection. They can be fined up to £1,000 for offences including putting out their bin at the wrong time, putting waste in the wrong bin, leaving rubbish beside a bin, failing to close the lid on their bin, or leaving their bin in the wrong place. The controversial move on collections comes as the Tories revealed that the “bin police” could be given the power to levy £5,000 fines on householders. The charge could be brought against anyone who bars entry to their property. While the laws were designed to combat terrorism and antisocial behaviour, the Tories have established that they could also be used by bin snoops. The guidelines also allow inspectors to enter homes in order “to investigate an environmental offence”. In addition, opposition MPs fear the 2000 Terrorism Act could be used by councils to probe ordinary householders’ bins. Tory MP Philip Davies said: “It is one thing for the security services to go through your rubbish but quite another for the council. “They should concentrate their efforts in collecting it not looking at it. It is yet another example of a growing police state.”
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